Celebrating A Decade of Excellence

This month, The Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Nebraska Medical Center are celebrating a decade of excellence - a successful 10-year partnership between the two entities.

"Our success did not happen by chance" said Glenn Fosdick, FACHE, president and CEO of The Nebraska Medical Center.

"Our success did not happen by chance," said Glenn Fosdick, FACHE, president and CEO of The Nebraska Medical Center. "The hospital board and the medical center leaders had a clear and concise vision from the beginning and we have remained committed to that vision even when facing challenges."

Before the 1997 merger of the two hospitals, both Bishop Clarkson Memorial Hospital, founded in 1869, and University Hospital, founded in 1917, had each established themselves as leaders in healthcare. "The first heart transplant, the first kidney transplant and the first dialysis treatment in the state of Nebraska were all performed under Clarkson Hospital programs," Fosdick said. "University Hospital pioneered the transplantation of peripheral stem cells for lymphoma treatment and performed the first liver transplant in the state. Our partnership with the University of Nebraska Medical Center only makes us a better organization."

"The Nebraska Medical Center has become a national model for successful hospital mergers," adds Harold M. Maurer, M.D., chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Hospital mergers were popular in the early 1990s, but most were not successful. "We were unique to flourish," said Fosdick. "We often get asked, ‘Why did it work for us?’ We remained tenacious. We also valued one another’s strengths."

"The Nebraska Medical Center has become a national model for successful hospital mergers," adds Harold M. Maurer, M.D., chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center. "The reputation of The Nebraska Medical Center is climbing nationally. The care provided by physicians, nurses and other health care practitioners and staff is of the highest quality."

Currently a 624-bed, not-for profit facility, The Nebraska Medical Center continually strives to provide innovative and extraordinary patient care. Together with UNMC, it is involved with cutting-edge research and plays a significant role in educating health care professionals of the future.

The Nebraska Medical Center has treated patients from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and 43 foreign countries. Many of those patients come to The Nebraska Medical Center seeking treatment in the areas of solid organ and bone marrow transplantation, oncology, cardiology and neurology.

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The past 10 years have been filled with growth. In 1998, The Nebraska Medical Center opened the Lied Transplant Center. A model for cooperative care, the 13-story building embodies the medical center’s commitment to transplant and cancer patients. The transplant center houses a 24-hour clinic, research labs and suites for patients and families.

In 2005, the Hixson-Lied Center for Clinical Excellence was established to consolidate many of The Nebraska Medical Center’s services into one building, leading to more efficient care. The new building houses emergency, radiology, cardiology, surgery and the newborn intensive care unit.

Also in 2005, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Julie Gerberding, M.D., joined physicians at The Nebraska Medical Center for the opening of the Biocontainment Unit. The unit is currently the only center accessible to civilians in the United States to safely care for anyone exposed to a contagious and dangerous disease such as avian flu.

The past 10 years have also been filled with many firsts. In the first years after the merger, staff at The Nebraska Medical Center delivered the state’s first set of quintuplets, performed the region’s first implantable hearing aid surgery and performed the world’s first bowel resection using surgical robotic equipment.

In the years following, The Nebraska Medical Center was the first in the region to use ‘camera in a pill’ for small intestine disorders, the first in the region to use the Novalis radiation therapy system and the first in the region to use Calypso 4-D Localization System for radiation therapy. The medical center can also stake claim as the first in North America to perform a frozen elephant trunk aortic dissection procedure and the first in the nation to perform an autologous islet transplant on a young child.

The Nebraska Medical Center’s academic partnership with UNMC strengthens the medical center’s ability to offer cutting-edge treatments. "Patient care rises to a new level when patients have access to new therapies because of research and educational opportunities," said Dr. Maurer. "Even though the hospital is located in Omaha, it has also become a resource for the entire state."

The Nebraska Medical Center and UNMC’s educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. "We have attracted the best and brightest students, residents and health care practitioners," Dr. Maurer said.

"The Nebraska Medical Center’s culture encompasses a commitment to quality improvement," Fosdick said. "Adoption of programs like Six Sigma and Crew Resource Management, and participation in programs such as the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s 100K Lives campaign, demonstrate the hospital’s commitment to seek out best practice models and apply them to our operations."

The medical center has twice received the J.D. Power and Associates Distinguished Hospital for Service Excellence (2005 and 2006), six times been awarded the National Consumer Choice Award by the National Research Corporation and is among a select few in the nation to receive recognition for performance improvement among the Thomson 100 Top Hospitals.

The Nebraska Medical Center has also received Magnet designation for extraordinary nursing care by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Magnet Recognition Program.

Fosdick sees the value of an academic partnership only growing stronger over the next decade. "Academic medicine’s financial dependence on the government is going to continue to become less reliable," he said. "Realizing that 85-percent of medical school graduates go into private practice, it will remain crucial to continue collaboration with private medicine by providing teachers for the new and upcoming physicians."

Dr. Maurer predicts a bright future for the partnership. He said, "The Nebraska Medical Center will become among the highest-ranked destination hospitals nationally and internationally in keeping with UNMC's quest to become world-class."

The next decade will also bring more growth. The Nebraska Medical Center will open a 60-bed hospital in Bellevue in 2010. The Clinical Cancer Center, a multidisciplinary, full-service approach to cancer treatment with radiation treatments, surgical procedures, medical therapies, radiology and laboratory support, will open in fall of 2008 in west Omaha.

Together, The Nebraska Medical Center and UNMC represent the third largest employer in the state, assuming both were private entities. The Nebraska Medical Center staffs 4,954 employees and 1,039 physicians. UNMC staffs 4,516 employees, including 1,003 faculty members.

Milestones

Awards

Consumer Choice Award, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2002, 1999

The Edgerton Award, 2007, 2006

Thomson 100 Top Hospitals®: Performance Improvement Leader, 2007

University Health System Consortium Rising Star Award, 2007

BlueCross and BlueShield of Nebraska Recognition for Quality Program Award, 2007

Thanks and Giving: A Transplant Story
Kansas pastor Mike Bronson knew for years that a kidney transplant might
be necessary. In 2009, it became a reality. His doctors said he was in
end stage renal disease and needed a transplant.

Celebration Marks 100th Heart Transplant Performed
The Nebraska Medical Center and UNMC celebrated a significant milestone
June 2, by pulling together patients, physicians and medical staff to
mark the 100th heart transplant performed since the program was
re-established in 2005.

Heart Transplant Recipient Inspired to Volunteer
When you see Eulish Moore walking the halls of the Cardiac Progressive
Care Unit on the 7th floor of Clarkson Tower, it is hard to believe
that little more than a year ago, he had accepted that he was dying.

Record Number of Transplant Patients and Families Gather to “Celebrate Life”
Laurie Chiasson again headed for Omaha from her home in Louisiana. This
time, it was for a much different reason than when she first came here
seven years ago. The 2011 trip was for The Nebraska Medical Center’s
annual transplant reunion. Seven years ago, the trip to Omaha was
because her son needed a liver transplant.

Father of Transplant Patient Also Gets New Heart
Bruce Prenosil's word for 2009 is "Believe." A "believe" sign sits on his fireplace mantel. And wherever he goes, the word just seems to jump out at him. A bag appeared on his doorstep this month with the word "believe" printed on it. And while recently stuck in traffic, the license plate in front of him read, "BLV 2 RCV" (Believe to Receive).

Transplant Reunion Celebrates Second Chances
Several hundred transplant recipients from across the nation will gather in Omaha to celebrate their second chance at life at The Nebraska Medical Center's 2009 Transplant Reunion. The reunion will be held on Saturday, July 25, 2009 at the Holiday Inn Convention Center.